Chapter 26 The sky outside was already beginning to lighten...
The sky outside was already beginning to lighten; 5:25 a.m. was almost time to start morning training. Ren Xiyao's phone screen lit up, its glare particularly glaring in the dark room.
"Just finished filming, it's raining in New York." The message was sent by Kwon Ji-yong four hours earlier.
She stared at the screen for a while, her fingers hovering over the keyboard for a few seconds, before finally replying with just a simple "Mm".
She fell during training a couple of days ago. The pain in her lower back made it difficult for her to even turn over. She lay on her side, placed her phone next to her pillow, and closed her eyes.
A few minutes later, the phone lit up again.
What time is it where you are?
Ren Xiyao opened her eyes and glanced at the time: "5:25 a.m."
"...So early."
She didn't reply.
A little while later, another message popped up: "How's training?"
Ren Xiyao stared at the ceiling, tapping her fingers lightly on the screen: "Not bad."
Are you tired?
Looking at those two words, she suddenly felt a little powerless.
Are you tired?
The training intensity has increased, and she'll soon be returning home for the selection competition. She gets up at 5 AM, starts training at 6 AM, and continues until 3 PM. In the evenings, she does extra small muscle group training, followed by physical therapy or reviewing videos. She truly feels that every part of her body aches. Sometimes she feels that closing her eyes and never waking up would be the best thing ever.
But she simply replied, "I'm used to it." Because he knew that the person behind the screen was also very tired.
Ren Xiyao hesitated for a moment, glanced at Lin Shan who was still asleep beside her, and went to the bathroom to answer the phone.
Kwon Ji-yong on the other side of the screen also looked very tired, with messy hair. The background looked like a hotel dressing room, with bright lights that made his face look pale.
"You're up so early?" His voice was a little hoarse, no longer as clear as before, as if he had just smoked.
"Morning training is about to start." Ren Xiyao leaned her phone against the sink and stood against the wall. The lights were off, only the screen's light reflected on her face.
Kwon Ji-yong frowned: "At this hour? It's getting earlier and earlier."
"Yeah, the intensity of summer training has increased, it's inevitable."
He paused for a moment, then sighed: "We're like this..."
"Um?"
"...It's nothing." He rubbed his temples, as if he wanted to say something, but then swallowed his words back.
Ren Xiyao looked at the dark circles under his eyes and suddenly asked, "How long has it been since you slept?"
"I forgot." He smiled. "Anyway, I won't be able to sleep for long."
She didn't say anything.
Kwon Ji-yong looked at her and suddenly asked softly, "Do you miss me?"
Ren Xiyao paused for a moment, then answered honestly, "I don't have time to think about it."
He paused for a moment, then laughed, as if he had expected her to answer like that: "So direct."
"You too," Ren Xiyao said calmly, "You don't have time to think about it either."
Kwon Ji-yong didn't deny it, but leaned back in his chair, looking at her on the screen. Her hair wasn't styled, but casually draped over her shoulders. Her face still had the sleepiness of morning, but her eyes were bright.
“We are like this…” he began again, his voice low, “…is it difficult?”
Ren Xiyao was quiet for a moment, then said, "Mm."
"Then why are you still..." Before he could finish speaking, a knock came from the other end of the screen, and someone called out to him in English, "GDxi, start preparing in ten minutes!"
Kwon Ji-yong responded and then looked at the screen: "I have to go."
"Um."
"good evening."
"good morning."
"I'll be back next week. I'll treat you to drinks at the newly opened Neijia restaurant."
"good."
The video call ended, and the room fell dark again. Ren Xiyao put her phone aside and began to wash up. A new day, a new training session was about to begin.
After a day of training, Ren Xiyao sat somewhat dazed in the locker room. Li Enjing pushed open the door, saw her staring blankly at her phone, and raised an eyebrow: "Waiting for a message?"
Ren Xiyao locked the screen and shook her head: "No."
Li Enjing sat down next to her and handed her a bottle of water: "How have you two been chatting lately?"
Ren Xiyao unscrewed the bottle cap and took a sip, her tone calm: "Do you believe me if I say we didn't talk? The time difference is too big, so I'm slow to reply."
Li Enjing glanced at her, didn't ask any further questions, and simply said, "Are you used to it?"
Ren Xiyao was silent for a while, then said softly, "It's not that I'm used to it, it's just... I've only really realized many things now."
Li Enjing didn't speak, she just nodded.
Ren Xiyao looked down at her hands, unconsciously fiddling with the edge of the kinesiology tape.
“Actually, it’s pretty good,” she suddenly said.
"What's so good?"
“I’m increasingly glad I went to that concert.” Her voice was calm: “If I hadn’t gone, I might still be naively thinking that we just ‘don’t see each other occasionally’.”
Li Enjing looked at her and suddenly laughed: "Regretful?"
"No." Ren Xiyao shook her head: "Now I understand what it's like to date him."
Lee Eun-jung paused for a moment, then chuckled, "Aren't you two not together yet?"
“That’s why I’m glad.” Ren Xiyao turned to look at Li Enjing, her eyes serious but her tone teasing, “If I had agreed on a whim back then, we would be arguing and breaking up now.”
Li Enjing chuckled, but then said seriously, "You're not good at arguing, and you don't know how to make a scene. All you do is give the silent treatment. That won't bridge the gap; it will only wear down your relationship, especially with the long-distance relationship..."
Ren Xiyao curled the corners of her lips but didn't reply. After a while, Li Enjing asked softly, "And now?"
Ren Xiyao paused, her voice very soft: "I need to think it through, to see if I can accept it."
Time passed in the daily grind of "Good morning" and "Good night." Countless unspoken words and concerns remained unspoken. But conversations across time zones felt distant. It wasn't until several days later, with the simple sentence, "I'm going back tomorrow night. I'll treat you to drinks at Neijiadian the day after, do you have time?" that the somewhat stiff atmosphere was broken.
Ren Xiyao stood at the entrance of the training base and glanced down at her phone. A message from Kwon Ji-yong: "I've arrived. I'm waiting for you at the back gate."
She replied with an "okay," put her phone back in her pocket, and tidied her slightly messy hair as she walked away. In late September in Seoul, the evening breeze already carried a hint of coolness, a far cry from the sweltering heat of summer. She had just finished a day of training, and her muscles, though relaxed, still felt burning.
Kwon Ji-yong's car was parked at the corner, a black SUV with privacy film on the windows. As soon as she approached, the car door opened from the inside. He was wearing a baseball cap and a mask, revealing only his eyes, and smiled at her: "Get in."
Ren Xiyao got into the passenger seat, fastened her seatbelt, and then asked, "Is that store far?"
“Not far, ten minutes.” He started the car, his voice muffled by his mask: “Their honey grapefruit tea is their signature drink. Want to try something new? Forget the hot lemon water.”
She nodded and didn't say anything more. The car was quiet, with only the occasional mechanical female voice from the navigation system providing directions. Kwon Ji-yong's fingers tapped lightly on the steering wheel, as if habitually keeping time.
Ren Xiyao turned her head to look out the window; the streetscape of Seoul blurred into a neon light in the twilight. She remembered her two conversations with Lee Eun-jung, the concert, and the roar of tens of thousands of people chanting his name. And now, he was sitting next to her, driving her to get a drink like an ordinary person.
This sense of disconnect made her feel somewhat disoriented.
As the car turned into a narrow alley, Kwon Ji-yong suddenly clicked his tongue and tightened his grip on the steering wheel.
"What's wrong?" she asked.
He didn't answer immediately, but glanced at the rearview mirror and frowned: "...We've been followed."
Ren Xiyao turned her head and saw a motorcycle following behind them at a distance, the rider holding up his phone with the camera pointed at their vehicle.
Kwon Ji-yong's expression turned cold. He accelerated, jerked the steering wheel, and swerved into another road. Ren Xiyao instinctively grabbed the handrail, her heart pounding with the centrifugal force of the sudden turn.
"Hold on tight." His voice was low and slightly tense.
The car weaved through the narrow alleys. Kwon Ji-yong seemed to know the roads here very well. After a few sharp turns, the sound of the motorcycle finally disappeared in the rearview mirror.
Ren Xiyao released the armrest, her palms slightly sweaty.
"...Sorry." Kwon Ji-yong's voice was muffled, his fingers tightening and loosening on the steering wheel: "We probably won't be able to drink today."
She didn't speak, she just nodded.
Silence fell over the car again. Kwon Ji-yong parked the car in a secluded parking lot, turned off the engine, but didn't get out. He took off his mask, took a deep breath, as if he wanted to say something, but then swallowed it back.
Ren Xiyao looked at him and suddenly asked, "Does this often?"
He gave a wry smile: "Yeah."
"So, you usually do this when you go out?"
"Pretty much." He tugged at the corner of his mouth. "You'll get used to it."
Ren Xiyao turned her head, looked at his tense profile, and suddenly said, "Didn't you want me to see these things before?"
Kwon Ji-yong's fingers paused for a moment.
“…Yes.” He finally admitted.
"Why?"
He remained silent for a long time before whispering, "Because you are different from me and them."
Ren Xiyao looked at him quietly.
“When I first met you, you were on the ice rink, focused only on the competition and training.” Kwon Ji-yong’s voice was soft. “I don’t want these things to bother you. This chaos shouldn’t be your burden.” His voice trailed off. His gaze fell on the steering wheel: “I should stay far away from you; you’re already exhausted from training.”
Ren Xiyao didn't reply, but just looked at him quietly.
Kwon Ji-yong finally turned his head and met her gaze. His eyes were a little uneasy, as if he was afraid that she would say "never mind" or "we're not suitable" next.
But Ren Xiyao only asked, "So, what do we do now?"
He was stunned for a moment: "...What?"
"Drinks." She pointed out the window. "Are there any other shops nearby?"
Kwon Ji-yong blinked, as if he hadn't quite grasped the situation.
Ren Xiyao laughed: "I can't just come all this way for nothing, can I? It's not easy for me to find the time."
He stared at her for two seconds, then suddenly smiled and relaxed his shoulders: "There's a convenience store up ahead, want to go there?"
"Okay."
They didn't drive anymore and walked to a nearby convenience store. Kwon Ji-yong put his mask back on, pulling his hat brim low. Ren Xiyao walked beside him, keeping a slight distance, but not in a deliberately distant way.
Kwon Ji-yong took two cans of Coke from the freezer and handed her one: "Wait a minute? It's okay to have a carbonated drink once in a while, right?"
She took it, her fingertips touching his briefly before separating: "Mmm."
They stood on a bench outside the convenience store, about half a person's width apart, each drinking their cola. A night breeze carried the distant chirping of cicadas.
Kwon Ji-yong suddenly spoke up: "...Aren't you going to ask?"
"What do you want to ask?"
"Stalker fans, paparazzi, and all that stuff."
Ren Xiyao took a sip of cola, the bubbles bubbling on her tongue. She thought for a moment and said, "I know these are part of your life."
Kwon Ji-yong was silent for a moment, then said in a low voice, "I don't like this."
"Um."
"But I can't help it."
"Um."
He turned to look at her: "...Don't you find it annoying?"
Ren Xiyao shook her head: "I just feel that you are working harder than I thought."
Kwon Ji-yong paused for a moment, then laughed, a hint of helplessness in his smile: "What is this? Consolation?"
“This isn’t just comforting words.” She looked at the distant streetlights, her voice calm: “It’s the truth.”
He stared at her profile for a few seconds, then suddenly asked, "...Don't you think it's troublesome to be around someone like me?"
Ren Xiyao turned her head and looked directly into his eyes: "Yes."
Quan Zhilong's breath hitched.
“But trouble doesn’t mean it’s unacceptable.” She continued, “Just like training is tough and competitions are stressful, I still choose to continue skating.”
He blinked, as if he hadn't expected her to answer that way.
Ren Xiyao looked down at the Coke can in her hand and tapped the aluminum foil lightly with her fingertips: "I just need time to get used to it."
Kwon Ji-yong didn't speak, he just looked at her, his gaze softening little by little.
The night breeze blew again, carrying the chill of early autumn. He suddenly reached out and gently touched her fingers, a fleeting touch that lingered just close enough for them to feel each other's warmth.
“…Thank you.” His voice was very soft.
Ren Xiyao didn't dodge, she just hummed in agreement.
They continued drinking their cola, neither of them mentioning what had just happened. But Kwon Ji-yong's tense shoulders finally relaxed completely, as if he had let go of a heavy burden. His fingers tightened slightly, and his heart felt like it was being gently squeezed by something.
Ren Xiyao gazed at the distant night sky, thinking that she had pieced together another piece of the puzzle about him. She seemed to be seeing the whole picture of their relationship more and more clearly, not just the romantic coincidences, but also the time difference in reality.
A note from the author:
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